Second Chances
by Theodore Hawkwood
Summary: Inspired by NoStoryLeftUntold's fic: A New Chance. What if Rachel were brought back to life after the events of TDK? Held captive by Lex Luthor, she is saved by characters from out of town. Way out of town.
1. Prologue

Prologue

* * *

Disclaimer: I own neither TDK, Superman Returns, Lilo and Stitch or Kingdom Hearts. I was first inspired to write this fic by reading NoStoryLeftUntold's fic A New Chance (highly recommend you read) and wondered what if Lois hadn't saved Rachel but some characters from out of town. Way out of town...

A/N: The excerpt from A New Chance is obviously not mine and belongs to NoStoryLeftUntold.

A/N: Many thanks to reeniecat who beta-read my earliest drafts and allowed for many good refinements.

---

Rachel couldn't help but sob. She'd been in this glass cell after being brought back to life for not even a night but she had been told should couldn't leave it. It was sterile. Depressingly so. Brought back to life? How? This was insane. It shouldn't be this way. Human beings weren't supposed to come back from the dead. Regeneration? Only lizards and starfish were supposed to do that. Right?

This was overwhelming and a lot to swallow. But most damning was this:

"_Miss Dawes, are you even listening?" Luthor asked, obviously annoyed and displeased. He'd been talking again, but she took in none of it. Rachel shook her head._

"_I'm sorry," She said. "But what's going to happen to me? I can't go back to Gotham…can I?"_

"_You're going to stay here, Miss Dawes, as I have already stated. Being the first person resurrected after being blown up, we have a series of tests to run on you to see just how well the chip works, what your limits are, etcetera."_

"_I'm going to be tested?!" The very idea was barbaric! She couldn't believe her ears; would they really do something like that?! "Like…some sort of science experiment—"_

"_I assure you, this is a science experiment." Luther said. "Besides, we can't let a woman who everyone thinks is dead run around, clearly alive and well, now can we?"_

"_But—but—" Rachel was spluttering. She couldn't believe it! She couldn't live like this! What would happen to her? Would she never see outside again, or talk to someone other than this wretched man?_

"_I'm afraid, Miss Dawes, I must bid you good night. It's quite late." Luthor smirked, beginning to walk towards the exit with the group of scientists following him. "I'll see you in the morning."_

"_No!" Rachel cried. She jumped off the examining table, beating her fists on the glass, when—_

_Everything went completely dark._

Not completely dark. There was a man with a flashlight, he was thin and wiry in a blue uniform and baseball cap with security. He had a mostly shaved head with a light fuzz of blonde hair atop his head with brown eyes. He leered at her and for the first time Rachel realized just what a sorry excuse for a garment the hospital gown was and tried vainly to cover up. There wasn't even a blanket in this room?

What did they want her to do, freeze to death and see if the chip caused her to come back to life?

---

Bart Stevens a Security Guard at LexCorp leered at the latest experiment. Supposedly some chick from Gotham City. For a dead girl she was pretty hot.

Bart turned the next corner just in time to see a fellow wearing the olive drab uniform of an Israeli Defense Force soldier. An M4 rifle with a 203 grenade launcher underneath it was clutched in his hands and before he could reach his own weapon the Israeli swung the stock of his weapon right into Bart's chin knocking him unconscious.

The Israeli soldier made a hand signal and two more figures broke from the shadows. One a massive African American a black suit and tie with an MP5 submachinegun and the other a slender Hawaiian man with a laptop.

"Oh man." the Hawaiian said as he connected his computer with the electronic lock of the cage. "Hang on we'll get you out."

He started to punch away at the keyboard when electricity coursed from the lock and hit him. "AGGH!" The Hawaiian shouted. At the same time an alarm sounded.

"David!" the Israeli soldier shouted and dragged him from the entrance.

A third figure broke from the shadows wearing US Army fatigues. "Hey! Get to the back of that cage and cover your ears!"

Rachel did as she was told and the soldier started to connect a putty-like substance to the lock. She knew instinctively it was some kind of bomb. He took some piece of metal and put it in the putty and then connected wires to the metal before connecting it to a remote. He hit the clacker and with a loud bang the door flew open.

"You can get out now!" the man shouted.

Rachel blinked for a second as the man ran into the room and took a hold of her arm, getting her clear of the opening.

The large black man in the black suit motioned upward and the team rushed up the nearest staircase. Rachel stumbled. The US Army soldier caught her arm and he noticed Rachel had scraped her left knee. He watched with amazement as the wound began to rapidly close.

"Dear God. What did they do to you?" The man muttered.

"Long story." Rachel said as she felt her pulse quicken. The soldier helped her to her feet as they ran.

"Come on. We've gotta get you out of here." The soldier half dragged half carried Rachel the remaining several floors to the roof as she felt herself going faint.

Rachel felt the world spin on its axis as she passed out. And as she lost consciousness she could feel the soldier lifting her over his shoulder with a grunt.

---

For the second time in as many days Rachel woke up in a medical facility. But this one didn't have a glass door or locks. She noticed the Israeli soldier from the group was heading towards her.

"Someone's awake." the man said before introducing himself, "Abraham Shavitz. I'm one of the medics on the Infinity Ship Ohana."

"Infinity Ship?" Rachel asked.

"It's a hovercraft under the control of the United Nations." a female voice added, "Abe, I need those blood sample reports."

"I'll get right on it." Shavitz said stepping into the adjacent space.

The woman stepped into view, she was in her early thirties and also wearing an Israeli Defense Force uniform. "Dr. Rae Cohen. I'm the ship's medical officer."

"So is this a military ship?" Rachel asked.

"Not quite." Rae said, "It's a joint military and civilian venture under the flag of the UN. I like to call it the menagerie."

"So what about this Lex Luthor character? Is he going to be arrested?" Rachel asked.

"Sadly we weren't able to capture him." Rae said.

"Put him within 600 meters of Sacha or Nikolai with a clear line of sight and he's dead." Abe said as he handed Rae the blood tests.

"Your vitals are good." Rae said as she glanced at the report, "Just a mild hiccup with your blood sugar."

"Abe. You know if he stands trial for his crimes..." Rae continued replying to Abe's comment.

"I still say let Sacha or Nikolai give him a copper coated dessert and he's not a problem for us any more." Shavitz replied.

"So what's going to happen to me?" Rachel asked.

"We're taking you to Honolulu to be examined by Dr. Jookiba." Rae replied, "Don't worry, you're not gonna be confined to a cage or anything."

The door opened just then and the man with the US Army uniform walked in. "Morning doc." he said to Dr. Cohen before turning to Rachel and saying, "Hey, feeling alright?"

"I'm feeling fine, thank you." Rachel said.

"Rachel Dawes, meet First Lieutenant Carl Allenby, United States Army." Rae replied.

"Charmed." Carl said and extended a hand. He was of medium height with close cropped black hair and brown eyes.

Rachel recognized him as the man who'd literally blown the door to her prison off its hinges. She took the hand and shook it. She noticed a patch on his ACU blouse that read **EOD(**1**).** Rachel knew what those three letters meant, Carl Allenby was an EOD operative, the sort of man who disarmed booby traps and UXBs(2**) **so other troops could advance, the sort of man she wished was around when the blast..._Come on. You wish someone like him was around before the bomb went off and killed you. _Rachel thought.

"Thank you." Rachel said.

"The pleasure was all mine." Carl replied.

"He's come by here a couple of times to check on you." Rae added.

"I just felt like a real moron for causing you to black out like that." Carl replied.

"You couldn't have known." Rachel replied.

"Nonetheless I hope you'll accept my apologies." Carl replied.

"There's no need to apologize but I accept." Rachel said.

"Speaking of medical matters." Rae interjected, "Carl, have you seen Sacha anywhere."

"How would I know the guy's whereabouts?" Carl asked.

"Considering you two both are always hanging around each other going back and forth in Russian I'd think you'd know where he is." Rae replied.

"Am I the Chechen's keeper?" Carl replied as he walked out of the clinic.

"Chechens?" Rachel asked.

"Long story." Rae said.

"I do have the time to hear it." Rachel said.

"Well in the aftermath of the Heartless attack on our world a lot of changes came out of it." Rae replied.

"Heartless?" Rachel replied.

"They're beings that lack hearts. Creatures formed from the darkness in people's hearts that prey on the hearts of human beings and worlds alike. We as a species had to fight to prevent our annihilation by the Heartless in a great war." Rae said.

"Wait. So let me get this straight. Creatures without hearts attacked your world and you barely fought them off? This sounds like something fresh out of a science fiction novel." Rachel said.

"That's what I thought too when my country enacted a voluntary quarantine where we build a security wall and self sufficient compounds within it's boundaries along the 1967 borders." Rae replied.

"Hell really froze over." Rachel commented, "Israelis pulled out of Gaza Strip and the West Bank?"

"We did." Rae replied, "And triggered a Civil War with our religious right which we were triumphant."

"So Israel fought a Civil War on one side and creatures that lack hearts on the other?" Rachel asked.

Rae nodded.

"How? Where did these Heartless things come from?" Rachel asked.

"This is gonna be a lot to process." Rae replied.

Rachel mentally steeled herself for this: "This is overwhelming. First being brought back to life and then there are these creatures that shouldn't exist."

"Well human beings have three main parts. The body, which modern medicine can quantify and define. The soul, which clerics and scholars still debate over. And the Heart, which has its biological component inside your rib cage. But it also is where emotion comes from. Now loss of the Heart by yielding to the Darkness inside it can turn a person into a Heartless." Rae replied.

"So you're saying feelings of hopelessness and despair can turn someone into a Heartless." Rachel asked.

"In theory." Rae replied, "Admittedly I'm no expert in exactly how Heartless come to be or where they come from."

"So how long did this war with the Heartless last?" Rachel asked.

"It's still being fought in some areas of the world. Mostly isolated areas like Iceland, several smaller islands around the world, Northern Canada and Alaska, the bottom of the sea to name a few places." Rae replied, "Almost every nation of the world united under the UN to rid the world of the Heartless. Our ships are part of this deal."

"So that's why there are soldiers and civilians from every country on these Infinity Ships?" Rachel replied.

"Yes." Rae replied, "The UN built these ships and arranged for their crews."

"For what purpose?" Rachel asked.

"The Heartless are from beyond our world. We're trying to find out where they came from, what they stand for and maybe who sent them. Our latest clues pointed to Lex Luthor." Rae replied.

"He sent the Heartless to your world?" Rachel asked, "I didn't think he had that capability."

"We don't know who or what caused the Heartless to invade our world, that is why the Infinity Ships were commissioned. To seek out other worlds and learn all we can about Heartless infestations." Rae replied.

Just then an attractive young woman of Hawaiian descent walked into the room. "Rachel Dawes, this is Nani Pelekai, one of our ship's pilots."

"Hi." Nani said, "Feeling better?"

Rachel nodded as Nani continued, "Hey. I know you must be getting bored sitting around the clinic all day. Would you like a tour? It'll be a few hours before we reach Honolulu."

"Sure. " Rachel replied.

---

Rachel walked with Nani Pelekai. They passed a small room with several weights and cardio equipment. "That's our gymnasium."

In it was a fair complexioned fellow, lean and wiry and almost six feet tall. He was shadow boxing between sets of pushups, situps, and pullups.

"That's Sacha." Nani explained.

"He seems like he's a pretty intense guy." Rachel remarked, "He's the Chechen, right?"

"That's him." Nani said.

"What's his story?" Rachel asked.

"Don't ask. He never really tells us much about his past." Nani said.

"If his Chechnya's anything like the Chechnya from my world I don't think I'd want to pry either." Rachel replied.

"On our world the Russians pulled out of Chechnya around the time of the Great Panic and during their Decimations. They left the Chechens to fend for themselves against the Heartless, thinking that the Heartless would wipe out the Chechens." Nani continued to speak just as Sacha hopped up to a chin-up bar and began to do a dozen pull-ups.

"It turns out the Chechens held out well against the Heartless in several fortified and well armed enclaves in the hills and even in their cities. The Grozny Blue Zone actually was one of the great success stories of the war." Nani replied.

"Blue Zone?" Rachel asked.

"Civilian safe areas. Places where people managed to make a stand and keep the Heartless out of their areas for at least a little while." Nani replied, "Sacha fought to keep Grozny safe from both the Russians and the Heartless, only to fight the Russians again when they tried to retake Chechnya."

"So did the Russians retake Chechnya?" Rachel asked. Her curiosity about this world was getting the better of her, for every question answered more seemed to appear.

"No. They pulled out into a cordon around Chechen territory while the UN is taking advantage of the stalemate and trying to resolve the problem." Nani replied.

Sacha walked out of the gym just then, dripping sweat. To Rachel he looked like he was barely seventeen years old, his face clean shaven, his complexion fair and complemented by his red hair.

"Good morning." Sacha said as he walked by the two women. He stopped, his pale blue eyes scrutinizing Rachel, "Who's she?"

It was Sacha's eyes that gave his true age away. They looked for all the world like eyes that had seen far too much carnage for the years they lived. They were eyes that drank in details and missed nothing.

"Sacha Asyatalov, this is Rachel Dawes, the woman we saved from Lex Luthor." Nani said.

Sacha took Rachel's hand and shook, "I still say Cobra should have let me shoot the prick."

"Sacha, not that again." Nani said.

"Fuck this let him stand trial business. Just let me get within six hundred meters with my rifle and a clean line of sight and we have one less problem with Heartless." Sacha replied.

From a door with a painting of Timon the Meerkat with a toolbox in one hand and a large hammer in the other on it and a plaque marked **EOD: "Initial Success or Total Failure", Det. 0805, The Meerkats **came an admonishment, "Sacha you realize there are ladies present."

Rachel recognized Carl Allenby's voice as the man lumbered out of the room. "Screwing around on the computer again?" Nani said, "Told you Google's a dangerous thing."

"Hey. I was doing research." Carl protested.

Nani peeked into the small room at Carl's computer screen. "Yeah. Google isn't research!"

"Says who!?" Carl replied in mock protest, "I could easily type in anything and get some good results."

Rachel's gaze followed Nani's and added, "I don't know if the fixtures for the Super 14 Rugby tournament count as work related research."

"It could. The first ever Super 14 tournament since the war. Big event. Possible terrorist factions could attack it." Carl said, "For all I know Paul Redecker could show up. Quite a few folks wanna send that guy to hell because of the Redecker Plan. What better way to do that than hiding a bomb somewhere in the stadium? They are holding it in South Africa this year."

"Don't try and hide it, Carl." Nani joked, "You were goofing off and reading about Rugby."

"Well as a lawyer I'd have to say you're doing a good job in making the evidence of your goofing off sound circumstantial. But emotional appeals don't always work." Rachel smirked.

"OK counselor you win. If I'm ever on trial remind me to have you as a legal aid." Carl replied.

"I'm not exactly licensed on your world. I'm not sure what good I could do you." Rachel replied.

"Hounded by the bureaucracy again Shorty." Sacha joked. He stood at least five inches taller at six foot one to Carl's five foot seven.

"Oh shut up. At least I can find cover from snipers easier than you can." Carl joked back.

"Well, as much as enjoy watching Round three hundred and seventy-eight of Carl versus Sacha I'd better get back to giving Rachel a tour of the ship." Nani replied.

"OK." Carl said.

"_Dos vidanya._" Sacha replied.

"It was nice meeting you guys." Rachel replied as she and Nani left.

As they walked down the hallway Nani pointed out a large open area with tables and a television set and sound system. "That's the Mess Hall." Nani remarked, "And behind it is the kitchen."

"Who cooks for you guys?" Rachel asked.

"We all take turns cooking." Nani replied.

"And thank God we're landing in Honolulu." Abe Shavitz said as he walked by.

"What!?" Nani protested.

"You don't want to be there when Nani cooks anything." Shavitz replied.

"My cooking is not that bad!" Nani protested.

"Spaghetti sauce is not supposed to be green." Shavitz replied, "And your cooking has been known to drive _rats_ to suicide."

Rachel couldn't help but chuckle at the Israeli medic's remark and Nani's chagrin. "I'm not much of a cook myself either." Rachel replied.

"Trust me you probably can cook better than Nani." Shavitz replied.

"I'm a pilot not a cook." Nani protested as they walked off.

Nani indicated another small room to her left: "That's the TOC or Tactical Operation Center, it's kind of the ship's nerve center and above it is the Control Room or Control, where we fly the ship from."

"Where are we going?" Rachel said.

"My quarters, if you'd like that is." Nani replied, "I figured you were getting bored sitting around the medlab and it's a little less like being in a lab."

"I don't want to put you out." Rachel replied.

"Nonsense. You're not putting me out. There's enough space for you to hang out if you so desire." Nani replied.

"OK." Rachel replied. Nani opened a door to a small two room area. There was a bed, desk, a couple comfortable looking chairs and a mini-fridge as well as a small bathroom and shower area.

"Feel free to help yourself to anything in the fridge." Nani said and handed Rachel a small piece of paper. "Here's the combination if you want to walk around. I've unfortunately got to attend to some things."

After Nani left the room Rachel tried to keep her mind occupied. She glanced at Nani's desk. There were pictures of a small girl which she took to be Nani's sister and a small blue creature she couldn't identify, a younger Nani and her sister and who she guessed were her parents, and there was a picture of Nani standing next to a young and lean Hawaiian man, David. It was the man who tried to help get her out of her cell.

Rachel made a mental note to check on David just before she yawned. It never really dawned on her how tired she felt as she sat down in one of the chairs. She grabbed a copy of Time Magazine from the desktop. She started to read a couple pages when she yawned again and started to fall asleep...

---

Rachel heard the sound of the magnets of the MRI scanner going off. The two operators were two of the weirdest looking creatures she'd ever seen. One of them was a roundly built and purple skinned fellow with a wide mouth, a huge and mostly bald head with three little black hairs, a little nose, and four yellow eyes.

The other was a thin yellow alien with three stout legs a small bald head with two purple tongues topped with a single small antenna that acts as ear and nose, and one large eye in the middle of his face. He moved his three fingered hands across the operator's console while the large bald alien was made observations and wrote on a large notepad. Rae had introduced the fatter of the pair as Dr. Jumba Jookiba and the skinny one eyed one as Wendy Pleaky.

"So what's the verdict?" Rachel asked as the bed of the MRI slid back into the open. She was glad she was out of that casket-like enclosure. The insides of that MRI scanner reminded her too much of the inside of a coffin for her liking.

"Well you definitely have a chip implanted in your brain." Dr. Jookiba replied, with a vaguely Russian accent, "As far as long term effects we won't know until we have more time for observation."

"So what does that mean for me?" Rachel said.

"We'll have to monitor you regularly with routine medical examinations." Dr. Jookiba replied, "The test results from today's examination will be the baseline."

"So what's the next test?" Rachel said.

"I'm gonna take some blood samples." Jookiba replied. Rachel sat down at the chair Jookiba indicated as he bound a rubber strip around her left arm and searched for a vein. Rachel shut her eyes. She'd always hated needles, even after years of being a blood donor, and winced as Jookiba stuck the needle into the vein and began to fill five tubes with blood before he removed the needle. Rachel opened her eyes and watched with fascination as the wound automatically began to close even before Pleaky could put gauze on it.

"Interesting." Jookiba said.

Rachel stepped down from the chair as Jookiba led her to another room. This one had a treadmill and an EKG attached. She raised an eyebrow and felt slightly nervous when she saw a couple laboratory technicians setting up oxygen and other resuscitation equipment. A female paramedic attached some leads to the EKG before connecting it to Rachel's body underneath the t-shirt she was wearing.

"What does this test entail?" Rachel asked.

"We're gonna test if Lex Luthor claiming that your heart-rate rising too fast could lead to a heart attack." Jookiba said, "With your permission of course."

Rachel mused for what felt like forever. What if she hopped on that treadmill and raised her heart rate and then died again? What if those paramedics were unable to revive her if that did happen? But what was the point of being brought back from the dead if she couldn't fully experience life.

"Yes." Rachel said with a quiver in her voice, "I'll do it."

"OK. First start at a slow pace and then bring it up every sixty seconds." Jookiba directed.

Rachel climbed onto the treadmill and started at first at a walking pace. She felt her heart quicken when she raised it to the pace of a normal jog. Then she sped it up to a brisk run. She felt her heart rate climb but no adverse effects. She kept speeding it up to that of a max-paced sprint until Jookiba signaled for her to stop.

Rachel stepped off the treadmill. She felt winded but not anywhere near the verge of cardiac arrest or a heart attack despite having rapidly raised her heart rate.

"What does that mean?" Rachel said.

"That Lex Luthor's warning was basically a load of crap." Jookiba replied.

"But when the team pulled me out of Lex's lab when I ran to the roof I passed out. Why was that?" Rachel asked.

"It could be any number of reasons. According to Dr. Cohen's report it was likely due to the fact that you had just been revived to delicately put it and also according to the blood test she performed on you results you passed out because of acute hypoglycemia. When did you last eat when you woke up in the medlab?" Jookiba asked.

"I don't remember eating anything after I got up. And I honestly didn't feel like eating anything." Rachel said.

"Hypoglycemia. Nothing more I conclude." Jookiba said.

"Do you need anything else from me?" Rachel replied.

"No. There's a shower next door and your change of clothes." Jookiba said.

Rachel left the medical laboratory and went into the locker room. It was clean but not as sterile as the LexCorp lab she woke up in. She stripped her t-shirt, sports bra, panties, jogging pants, and t-shirt off before turning the shower on. After she'd showered and dried herself off she put on the clothes she'd borrowed from Nani. A bit more casual than she was used to wearing on a day to day basis but they were comfortable enough.

Rachel headed for the lobby where Nani was waiting for her. "How'd it go?" Nani asked.

"According to your very strange friends I have a clean bill of health with a schedule of regular checkups." Rachel replied.

"That's good to hear." Nani replied, as they both stepped into Nani's car and the vehicle drove through the traffic of Honolulu, "So where are you staying?"

"That's a good question." Rachel said.

"Hey. You can stay with us until we can get you an appointment with the Housing Department." Nani said.

"Housing Department?" Rachel asked.

"During the war we were having to husband resources to include housing. We actually had a family from Texas, the Morrisons, living with us until last year when they were able to reclaim their house in Galveston." Nani replied, "The housing department was the part of DeStRes that made sure refugees had places to stay."

"DeStRes?" Rachel asked.

"Oh. That's shorthand for the Department of Strategic Resources. They're the ones who helped focus our efforts for retaking the United States and now to get us back on our feet again." Nani replied.

Rachel looked out the window and immediately noticed a much greater emphasis on public transportation and a lot fewer luxury type vehicles than she was used to seeing.

Nani pulled the car into the driveway of a small yet comfortable house that was raised up on stilts with a retractable front staircase. Rachel noticed the neighborhood itself was walled. Not simply one of those decorative gated community walls but a 20-foot tall concrete wall. There were also watch towers and every house in the neighborhood was on stilts with retractable stair cases. Every house had several solar panels on the roof.

"We still face attacks from the Heartless. The undersea hordes still mean that some do make it ashore and we have to be vigilant." Nani replied, "It's based on the Israeli 'Masada' model, those self sufficient residential compounds that helped Israel weather the storm better than almost ninety percent of the world."

Nani parked the car in the compound's parking lot with Rachel tagging along behind her. Rachel noticed a twelve year old Hawaiian girl playing with a blue creature that resembled a small Koala bear standing about 3.5 feet tall and weighing about 120 lbs and a dog that sort of resembled a dingo.

The twelve year old bore a strong resemblance to Nani. Nani knew her little sister on sight.

"Hi Nani..." Lilo said as she hugged her big sister.

"This is Rachel Dawes. She's gonna be a guest at the house for a while." Nani said.

"Hi." Rachel said, pleasantly and bent over to shake Lilo's hand.

"Hi." Lilo replied, and introduced the small blue creature, "This is Stitch."

"Could you clean out that spare room?" Nani said, "I tried calling you on your cellphone..."

"My battery died." Lilo replied.

"So what about dinner?" Nani asked.

"David's cooking right now." Lilo said, "And Carl and Sacha were coming over too if you don't mind..."

"I can help." Nani said.

"Blech." Stitch said.

"Why are Sacha and Carl coming over?" Nani asked.

"Carl was coming to pick up Dingo anyway." Lilo said. The Australian Cattle Dog barked at the sound of his name and headed over to Lilo.

"Carl I can understand. But that doesn't answer the question why he and Sacha are coming over for dinner." Nani replied.

"We had a power blackout two nights ago. All the food in their refrigerator got ruined and I just went shopping." Lilo said as everyone trooped upstairs.

Rachel looked around the house. Everything was done up in a cheerful tropical motif, there were Elvis records and CDs around the coffee table.

David, the handsome looking Hawaiian man Rachel had briefly met when the team broke her out of LexCorp Lab, was cooking. Rachel was suddenly aware of just how hungry she was.

"Phew. I'm glad David's cooking." came another voice.

Rachel turned to see Carl Allenby standing behind her, "Where did you come from?"

"The house next door." Carl replied, "We live next door to Nani and Lilo and we're coming over to help with dinner."

"That's nice of you." Rachel observed.

"Hey. We gotta do something. They saved us a trip into town to the nearest restaurant." Carl replied, "And also once we saw you were a guest we had to make sure that you don't wind up with food poisoning your first night...hey!"

"My cooking is not THAT bad." Nani protested as she clopped Carl in the back of the head.

"Yes it is. And worse." Lilo teased her big sister.

"See. Even your own kinfolk agree." Carl replied.

"Oh shut up!" Nani said.

"Look. If even Stitch, whose stomach is resistant to most poisons, won't touch your cooking you know it's terrible." Carl replied.

Nani glared at him with a look that spoke of death and daggers.

"I'll help in the kitchen." Rachel offered as Carl headed over to help Sacha with cutting some vegetables.

"Oh no, you're a guest. You shouldn't have to..." Nani said.

"You guys were kind enough to give me shelter, it's the least I can do." Rachel replied as she headed to the kitchen to wash her hands.

"I've got my share of help." David said when Rachel asked him if she could do anything to help, "You could help Lilo set up the table if you want."

Rachel headed over to help Lilo by putting the silverware up while the younger girl put the place mats and plates and glasses in place.

When they were done Lilo went over to the stereo system to put some music on. Rachel asked, "So what are you putting in?"

"The greatest artist who ever lived of course." Lilo said, "Elvis Presley."

"I disagree." Carl said from the kitchen, "Phil Collins was the greatest artist who ever lived."

"Not this again." Sacha groaned, "You realize you're arguing music with a twelve year old."

"They called Elvis the King for a reason." Lilo replied as the opening notes to Elvis Presley's _Devil in Disguise _began to play.

Despite herself Rachel smiled. The easy going and friendly atmosphere this small group seemed to have was almost infectious. _That's an 'illness' I wouldn't mind having._ Rachel thought.

David took a carrot from the counter, holding it up like a microphone, and began to sing, "You look like an angel. Walk like an angel...talk like an angel. But I got wise...You're the devil in disguise..."

As he sang he put an arm around Nani's waist. Nani couldn't help but smile. Rachel remembered that there were photos in Nani's small room back on the _Ohana _that showed her with David. That definitely confirmed her suspicions that David and Nani were definitely an item.

Everyone chuckled at David's performance and Nani blushed. Afterward David checked his cooking and announced, "Dinner is served."

Dinner was a light-hearted affair that Rachel couldn't help but get caught up in. Small jokes and witticisms were exchanged.

"David. I must say your beef stew is incredible." Carl said.

"Nani. I'm surprised you can stay so thin with David's cooking." Rachel remarked.

"You should come over to our place when Sacha makes his borsht. It's incredible." Carl replied.

"Sacha actually believes food should be cooked too." Nani replied.

"Hey. I cook my steaks." Carl replied.

"Two minutes a side isn't considered cooked." David remarked.

"I agree." Rachel said.

"The only two ways to eat beef. Burned to crisp or bleeding raw." Carl replied.

"That stinks that the steaks we had in the freezer might be ruined." Sacha replied.

"At least power failures don't ruin a good gift." Carl replied as he took a bottle of vodka from a bag.

"That's the good stuff." Sacha said.

"I thought Muslims didn't drink." Rachel remarked.

"Yes. But I still know good vodka when I see it." Sacha replied.

"Hey I thought this was an occasion to celebrate." Carl replied as he poured several tumblers for everyone but Lilo, Stitch, and Sacha.

"I'd like to propose a toast." Carl said as he recapped the bottle.

"To?" Nani asked.

"Well. To our guest, Rachel Dawes. The second person in history to have ever been given the second chance." Carl said, "She now has a second chance at living."

"To second chances." Carl said as he raised his tumbler.

"To second chances." Even Rachel joined in that particular toast. A second chance where she wasn't some science experiment.

"Hate to cut this short." Sacha said, "But I've got night watchman."

"I've got you tomorrow night, buddy." Carl said.

Dinner started to wind down. Nani, Lilo, and Rachel cleaned up the table after the meal had finished while Carl and David were doing the dishes.

Rachel put her hand to her mouth as she yawned. A combination of the day's events and the small drink of vodka made her just want to get to bed.

"If you don't mind, I'm going to bed." Rachel said.

"See you in the morning." Nani said.

Rachel padded upstairs to the spare bedroom that Nani had mentioned. She kicked her shoes off and lay in bed. Despite how tired she was, she lay awake on her back, thinking of the past day. Brought back to life. Brought to some world she didn't quite understand.

Rachel noticed a legal pad near the bed. It was unused and had a little layer of dust on it. She picked it up, sneezing as she blew the layer of dust off the first page. With slightly shaking hands she began to write:

_**The past day and some change has been one of the more bizarre ones of my life. It appears that there is a way to bring the dead back to life developed by none other than Lex Luthor. He succeeded in bringing me back with some chip implanted into my brain. I've never felt a broader span of emotions in the span of one day in my life. **_

_**I was overwhelmed with joy at first. I could see everyone again. See my mom. See Alfred (I hope to God he never gave Bruce that letter). See Bruce. And Harvey. I know he survived the blast. I heard him screaming my name as Batman dragged him away before I...died. **_

_**Then I felt this horrible sadness when Luthor said I'd never see the light of day again. That I was to be some kind of experiment for him. When he and his scientists left the lab I almost cried myself to sleep when these strange people showed up. **_

_**They broke me out of my cell ironically enough with a bomb**_,_** and got me to their ship. It's some kind of weird hovercraft. I remember disbelief when I woke up in the medical lab to come face to face with an Israeli paramedic and doctor. **_

_**Rae Cohen**_,_** the doctor**_,_** told me the reason that their ship was created was to find out about some creatures called the Heartless that apparently overran their version of my world. I sound like I'm writing some two-bit science fiction novel but apparently it is the truth. **_

_**Creatures without hearts overran the 90% of the world and humanity is fighting to reclaim it. According to some magazine articles I read before my medical appointment with Dr. Jookiba**_,_** which proved Lex Luthor's heart attack theory wrong by the way**_,_** all of the United States is secure once more. There's a big ceremony in two weeks re-opening Washington D.C.**_,_** which has been declared officially secure. Canada's almost been retaken with campaigns being fought in the north to retake the tundra. Mexico has been taken back and has actually changed it's name to Atzlan. **_

_**I'm now in Honolulu**_,_** HI living with the pilot who flew me out of LexCorp Labs**_,_** Nani Pelekai. She lives in a modest three bedroom house with her boyfriend**_,_** younger sister**_,_** and the strangest creature I've seen yet. Considering I've seen a four eyed (and not because he wears glasses) alien and a one eyed and according to Lilo gender confused one eyed alien that's saying something...**_

_**Lilo. She's something else. She's a little bit on the loner side but definitely well meaning and kind. Though she and Stitch have a history of driving Nani and David up the wall with their antics. Biggest Elvis fanatic I've seen under the age of sixty. **_

_**Our neighbors are two crewmembers from that ship that saved me.**_ _**The Ohana as it's called is almost like a world's fair**_,_** Dr. Cohen calls it the 'Menagerie**_', _**of people from all the different countries of the world. There are Israelis**_,_** Americans**_,_** and Chechens that I've seen. Military and civilians live onboard her as well. **_

_**Anyway. Back to my neighbors. Carl and Sacha. The former was the man who literally blew my cage door off its hinges. He's an EOD guy. And the other guy**_,_** Sacha**_,_** is an intense and mostly quiet fellow from Chechnya. According to what everyone says**_,_** he's a sniper of some great skill. They were over for dinner tonight. **_

_**I wonder what the next day is going to bring. Whether I'll be able to see everyone again**_,_** even once more. **_

Rachel finished writing and realized she'd scribbled nearly three pages back to back on that legal pad worth of feelings. She yawned and stretched before lying back down and falling asleep.

Little did Rachel realize that she was being watched. From a car down in the parking area former Gotham City Police Department detective Anna Ramirez sat in the front seat of the car.

"Hey. Is that where they moved her?" one of the two LexCorp Security employees, Kyle Fischer said.

"That's where she's living now." the other thug was named Clarke Gilbert.

"Not for long." Kyle Fischer said.

"Remember the boss wants her alive." Ramirez said, "Keep observing everything. Remember we have to be fast. We have to be smooth. And we have to get away from their neighborhood security folks."

As she spoke Ramirez walked out to a spot. "Here's a blind spot where the guard towers won't see us until it's too late and we've already got a hold of her. We're parked a few steps away from it."

Ramirez and her two fellow LexCorp employees had no idea they were being watched. From the house next door Sacha watched from the attic. This wasn't good. Something didn't sound right about those two men and one woman in the parking lot.

Sacha headed downstairs to wake his housemate. "What's going on?" Carl grumbled as he pushed the blankets aside on his bed.

"Some people in the parking lot. I don't like the look of them." Sacha said.

Tired and slightly irate from being woken up at 2 AM Carl nonetheless knew Sacha never gave warnings like that in jest. He grabbed a night vision monocular sight as Sacha peered through the PSO-1 telescopic sight on his Dragunov SVD sniper rifle.

"What do you see?" Carl asked.

"That car just outside of the lights' cutouts." Sacha said.

"I got it. Two men? One woman?" Carl said.

"Yes." Sacha replied.

"Surveillance?" Carl said.

"More than likely." Sacha said.

"But Rachel's world doesn't have any awareness of other dimensions or means of traveling to them." Carl replied.

"That we know of." Sacha added.

The woman walked out of the car and started talking. "Now what?" Carl asked.

"Dry run. They've noticed the same cutouts of the guard towers." Sacha said, "That's what I would do too. I'd observe the defenses and look for weaknesses."

"They know our towers are focused more for the external as opposed to internal threats too." Carl remarked.

"So what do we do? Take them now?" Sacha said.

"No. We won't." Carl replied, "If we kill them all we can't get information from them. But it would be good to get rid of the trash that followed us from Rachel's world."

"So we wait till they attempt their move?" Sacha said.

"Precisely. That's where you come in. But here's the stipulation. Try not to kill one of them." Carl replied, "We can question the living one."

"Shoot to wound?" Sacha said.

"Precisely." Carl said. "I'll be right down there as back up. If you can't get a clear shot I'll take the last one down."

"It's risky." Sacha remarked.

"Yes. But getting a hold of one of them alive means we can get to the bottom of what they want with Rachel." Carl replied as one of the men rehearsed grabbing Ramirez as if she were Rachel and hauling her into the car.

Sacha was already mentally rehearsing how he would shoot the man in that instance.

---

Rachel awoke the next morning, feeling a little less confused about the entire state of affairs. She headed downstairs where Lilo was starting to cook breakfast.

"Morning Lilo." Rachel said, "Have you seen Nani anywhere?"

"She's still sleeping." Lilo replied, "I always try and beat her over here to get the cooking knocked out. It wouldn't do to have a guest sick with food poisoning."

Rachel noticed there was coffee brewing in the pot and saw David leaning on the island, covering a yawn. "Morning sleepyhead." David said, "Did you sleep well?

"I did. Thank you." Rachel replied, "How about you?"

"I had night watchman duty for the house." David said. At Rachel's quizzical look he added, "There's always gotta be someone awake as the night watchman at each house. During the war it used to be that the Neighborhood Security Team would come by and talk to you about if you'd seen anything suspicious. Now that the cops have largely reformed we're not having to use the volunteer NSTs as much but we still maintain having a night watchman."

"May I?" Rachel asked as she indicated the coffee pot.

"Help yourself." David said with a tired grin. Rachel poured him a cup and handed it over to David after she poured one of her own. She went to the refrigerator and took some creamer and grabbed the sugar dish.

"Nani's gone to the grocery store right now." David said, "So she asked me to take you to the DeStRes office to help you with resettlement this morning."

"After you stayed up all night? I couldn't ask you to do that." Rachel replied.

"It's not too imposing. I'll drop you off and Nani will swing by and get you when she's done shopping." David replied as they headed downstairs.

Rachel and David walked into the parking lot, past a gray Crown Victoria sedan with a handsome brown haired man sitting in the front. Just then a large, muscular man and a Hispanic woman that Rachel instantly recognized as Detective Anna Ramirez seized hold of Rachel.

"Let go of me! Help!" Rachel shouted.

David tried to break Rachel loose only for Ramirez to grab a canister of a strange substance and spray him in the face.

"AAGHH!!" David screamed in agony and rolled on the ground. "Help me! Help me!! Bugs!!! AIIEEE!! They're crawling all over my skin...help me!"

_Fear spray. _Rachel instantly recognized as she struggled against her captors. They dragged Rachel towards the car as the sound of a single rifle shot cracked and the car's windshield shattered. The driver bucked in the seat wildly as the bullet shattered his forehead and pierced his brain.

From his vantage point Sacha lay on his stomach. He saw Rachel and David walking together through the telescopic sight of his Dragunov rifle. It was then that the woman and the larger of the two men he observed last night rushed from the car and grabbed hold of Rachel, shoving David to the ground. He watched as David tried to fight Rachel's abductors only to get some chemical sprayed into his face.

Sacha took aim at the handsome man with the slicked back brown hair at the wheel of the car. He centered his crosshairs on the man's forehead as he breathed in and began to apply a slow, steady, and deliberate pressure to the trigger.

CRACK! The SVD bucked in Sacha's hands and shattered the windshield of the car as well as the driver's forehead and brain. He moved his crosshairs as the large man and the Hispanic woman were shoving Rachel into the vehicle. He centered them on the man's neck, an inch above the clavicle. Again with slow and steady pressure on the trigger Sacha let fly.

As the second thug fell grasping at his neck Sacha adjusted his aim. The woman was still struggling with Rachel while Sacha aimed for the area just above her left breast. He let the air out as he pressed the trigger. CRACK!

Rachel heard the unmistakable sound of a body hitting the ground and the choking gasp and rasping noise of a man she knew had been shot in the throat. It was about then that she felt Ramirez push her to the ground.

Ramirez felt a hammer blow strike her chest as she fell right next to Fischer who still lay gasping and rasping as blood gushed from his throat. She tried to say something but let out a hollow cough. Academically she knew that she'd been shot in the chest and that this was a sucking chest wound. The direct result of a punctured lung.

Before she could do anything she saw a man standing over her. He was somewhat swarthy with close cropped black hair and wearing jeans, hiking boots, and a olive green t-shirt. He set one booted foot onto Ramirez's hand, the one close to her gun.

"Try anything and I'll finish what my Chechen friend started." Carl said as he aimed his USP .45 automatic at Ramirez's face, "You'd best cooperate so I can give you first aid. Otherwise you'll bleed to death before the ambulance gets here. I'd rather take you alive for questioning though."

Ramirez barely found the strength to nod as the man knelt by her side and took a piece of plastic from his pocket and a small roll of medical tape. He taped the card to the exit hole on four sides and took another piece of plastic for the entry wound. He taped it over there on three sides.

He lay Ramirez on the side of her good lung and said to Rachel, "Keep an eye on her, I'm gonna go help David."

"Carl. It might be better if I helped him." Rachel said.

"Huh?" Carl said.

"I know what this woman, Ramirez, hit him with." Rachel said.

As the ambulance came into the neighborhood Carl asked, "So she's from your world and you know her?"

"She's the one that kidnaped me in the first place." Rachel replied as Sacha ran downstairs, his Dragunov sniper rifle slung across his back.

"Sacha. Go with Ramirez in case she tries anything stupid." Carl replied.

Sacha nodded as the Paramedics were strapping Ramirez to a gurney and handcuffed her to one post. Ramirez struggled against them and Sacha fixed her with a cold stare.

Ramirez had put two and two together rather quickly. This fellow who looked like a red haired seventeen year old with the Dragunov sharpshooter rifle was the one who'd shot her.

"You're lucky I didn't kill you." Sacha said.

"You were trying to take me alive?" Ramirez asked.

"I never shoot to wound. I always shoot to kill." Sacha replied.

"Bugs! They're everywhere! HELP! Oh God!" David screamed.

"David? It's me Rachel. Listen to me...you're gonna be OK." Rachel said as she tried to get a hold of his thrashing arms.

David looked up. It wasn't Rachel he saw peering down at him. It was something else entirely. It was a desiccated face. One eye hung limply from a shriveled optical nerve. The other was dead and unblinking. Dead flecks of skin and hair fell onto his face from the corpse that was now straddling him.

"GAHH!!!" David said as he thrashed.

The Paramedics were strapping David to another gurney as Carl took the Fear Spray bottle that Ramirez had dropped when Sacha had shot her.

"What are you going to do with that?" Rachel asked.

"I'm gonna go take this to Dr. Jookiba." Carl said, "I recommend you stay at the house with Lilo. Sacha can keep a watch over you..."

"Like hell I'm staying put." Rachel said.

"Alright. Go with me to Dr. Jookiba's." Carl remarked as he headed to a green Chevrolet pickup truck. He hit the key fob to open the doors and opened Rachel's for her, letting her sit down before he closed the door and headed to the driver's seat. He started the truck and headed for Jookiba's lab.

"How do you know about this stuff?" Carl asked as they drove.

"I kind of got sprayed with it." Rachel said.

"What does it do? Is it pepper spray or something?" Carl asked.

"It's a strong hallucinogen that makes you hallucinate your worst fears." Rachel replied.

Carl's eyes widened as he gingerly put the canister into the glove box. He parked the truck at Jookiba's lab as the pair of them dismounted the truck and headed to Jookiba's lab.

"Hey Doctor Jookiba?" Carl asked.

"Yes?" The alien replied.

"Do you think you could do an analysis of this compound and synthesize a cure." Carl replied.

"I'll do my best. What is it?" Jookiba replied.

"It's a fear toxin." Rachel replied, "It's a hallucinogen."

Jookiba began to run his tests on the chemical. "I'm not sure when I'll have an answer, where can I get in touch with one of you?"

"We'll be visiting its victim in the East Wing." Carl replied.

"I'll call your cell." Jookiba said, "Or I'll walk over there."

---

"How's our patient?" Carl asked as he walked into the hospital.

"Which one? The one your Chechen friend shot or the one exposed to the unknown drug?" asked Sarah Groover, the head nurse for the ER.

"Either of them." Carl replied.

"Well. They just got the gunshot victim moved. She's still under observation at ICU with a police escort." Sarah replied, "And your friend Sacha is with them. You might want to tell him to keep his UN armband on next time. The sight of a Chechen in half military and half civilian garb with a long barreled firearm does tend to make people nervous. Care to tell me why you requested police escort?"

"She just tried to kidnap our friend here with two colleagues." Carl replied.

"I suppose Sacha dispatched them rather cleanly." Sarah replied.

"Yes." Carl replied.

Just then the large, imposing looking bald black man that had been on the team that got Rachel out of her cell walked up to them. He still wore his standard issue black three piece suit and white collared shirt. She recognized him as Cobra Bubbles, captain of the Ohana and supposedly formerly of the CIA.

"Captain." Carl remarked.

"I understand you and Sacha found that our guest had some unwelcome followers." Cobra said.

"Yes." Carl said.

"And you took care of them. I'm told Sacha's shooting prowess was displayed prominently in your neighborhood?" Cobra replied.

"Yes sir it was." Carl replied.

"Perhaps you two might have informed me what you were up to." Cobra Bubbles said.

"We didn't want to spook them or tip them off that we knew what they were up to." Carl replied.

"You still were taking a big gamble with Ms. Dawes' life." Cobra replied.

"She was never in any danger. I anonymously tipped off the Honolulu PD an hour before Sacha shot those three kidnappers about a vehicle that would be transporting a kidnap victim. If they got through us, they'd have to face a police cordon." Carl replied, "Let's not forget you also have a live suspect as well. Sacha's with her right now."

"Who was she?" Cobra asked.

Rachel spoke up, "A corrupt police detective from my world. She was working with this mobster, Maroni. She kidnaped me and put me in the warehouse with the bomb and..."

Rachel could recall it all again: _Suddenly, intense heat engulfed her body and her last few seconds of consciousness were spent, flames bursting before her eyes in a marvelous display of orange and red, so beautiful, even if it was killing her…_

"It's OK." Carl said as he gently led her to the nearest seat while giving Cobra a glance, "I'm sorry you had to recall all that again."

"It's fine. Really." Rachel said as she blinked a couple times, briefly trying to convince herself that she wasn't seeing the explosion that killed her again.

"What about David?" Cobra asked.

"He was hit with some toxin from Rachel's world called Fear Spray. Dr. Jookiba's working on it right now and hopefully synthesizing an antidote." Carl replied.

"Where is Ramirez now?" Cobra Bubbles asked.

"She's in the ICU under observation." Sarah said, "She's conscious but a bit hostile."

"Just how hostile?" Cobra asked.

"Not physically. At least she knows that she got a reprieve from death." Sarah replied, as she opened the door to where Ramirez was staying, "But I wouldn't count on hearing her life story."

Anna Ramirez glared when she saw the three people that the nurse let into the room. Rachel Dawes was in company with a large bald African American man in a black suit and the man who'd helped foil her kidnapping plot.

"Ramirez. What brings you here?" Rachel asked.

"You should know the answer." Ramirez said.

"Let me finish the question." Rachel replied,"Who sent you? The Joker? Maroni?"

"I believe it was LexCorp." Sacha said dourly.

"How do you know?" Rachel said as Sacha held up a LexCorp ID badge issued to one Anna Ramirez. It was dated around the date of her funeral.

"So Lex sent you after me. How did you get here?" Rachel asked.

"You think you're so safe here because your friend and his pet Chechen foiled our attempt. But that doesn't mean that there won't be others." Ramirez replied.

"I think you've taxed the patient too far today." Sarah interjected.

Cobra nodded impassively and gestured for the other two to leave the room. Ramirez said, "At least you're not in Gotham. At least you won't hear what a monster your fiancé became after you died!"

At this Rachel froze midstep. _No. That can't be true. It couldn't be...Ramirez is corrupt. She's a liar..._

"Why should I believe you?" Rachel replied.

"Wuertz. Maroni and his driver. Three men died all by the hand of Gotham's White Knight." Ramirez replied.

Rachel wanted to disbelieve this. She wanted to believe that it was some fairy tale Ramirez had made up to get under her skin.

"Is it true?" Rachel asked when they were out of the room, "Did he..."

"We know nothing of Harvey Dent's activities after your death." Cobra said, "We only know that he perished a few days after you. We know nothing more."

"I have to know the truth." Rachel said.

"Would you really want to?" Cobra replied.

"Yes." Rachel replied as they headed to the room where David was strapped to a hospital bed.

"No! Get away! Get away!" David screamed in pure terror as Nani tried to reason with him. Even through the glass of the window Rachel could see the tears running down Nani's cheeks.

"David. It's me...Nani...oh please snap out of it..." Nani said.

"Demon! Demon! Get away!" David screamed as he bucked against the restraints.

"Can we do something for him?" Carl asked an orderly.

"If we sedated him it could kill him." the orderly replied, "We don't know enough about the chemical that hit David to make any sort of educated guess of its secondary effects."

Dr. Jookiba walked into the room just then. He was holding a syringe in his hand. It contained a greenish-blue liquid. "This should counter that toxin that hit David." Jookiba said.

"What do you mean should?" Nani asked.

"Meaning I've never tested it before. But all tests of this chemical showed it was effective against the Fear Toxin." Jookiba said as he took hold of David's arm.

David thrashed against his restraints as Jookiba held the syringe up. In David's eyes all he saw was a four eyed, fanged monster with a wicked looking proboscis sticking out of it's clawed hand...

Jookiba injected the antidote. Gradually David's thrashing ceased and he calmed down. "Wh-what was that stuff..." David asked.

"It was a hallucinogen from my world." Rachel replied, "It's called Fear Spray or Fear Toxin."

Nani threw her arms around David. Tears of joy filled her eyes, replacing the ones of fear and pain she'd shed when she saw what David was enduring.

As David's restraints were removed and he was being further examined Rachel wondered what else Lex might do to try and retrieve her. The knowledge that the chip implanted into her brain

---

**Unknown location: **"Your team failed to bring your experiment back." the black robed and hooded figure remarked.

"And now she is away from your world." another black robed and hooded figure added.

"That chip is what we need to achieve our goal." the first figure said.

"I can send another team through the Corridors of Darkness." Luthor said, "A better armed and equipped team."

"Brute force might not be the answer. That world that Rachel was taken to is a world that recently fought off a massive invasion of the Heartless. They would be prepared to resist armed incursions. The element of surprise was on your side when Ramirez's team went through. Not anymore. They will expect another assault." the first figure replied.

"Can you not synthesize another chip?" a third figure spoke up, "The Superior is growing impatient."

"I have tried." Lex replied, "But our first successful experiment got away. We have not been able to repeat the success of the first experiment."

"Have you tried implanting it into a Dusk(3**)?" **the third figure asked.

"Both Dusks you gave me were horrible failures." Lex replied.

"Perhaps with the proper conditioning the latest Nobody(4) will be able to locate your last experiment. Based on the emotional ties he had with her before he lost his heart to the Darkness, Harvey Dent would be a formidable ally." the third figure replied.

"He is somewhat unstable though." Dr. Jonathan Crane said as he walked into the light.

"Permanent stability is not necessary for our ends." the third hooded figure said.

"He will need to be monitored. Watched. This is not only a man emotionally unhinged by the death of his beloved, this is also a man who is cunning and intelligent." Dr. Crane replied.

"Perhaps the key lies in the fact that his beloved is still alive. At the proper time and proper place we reveal that information to him. And maybe he might be of help to us to recover Rachel." Lex replied.

"Very shrewd Lex." the third hooded figure said, "You might have saved yourself from being transformed into a Dusk."

---

Meanwhile in another unknown location a being was being born in the most loose definition of the word. Harvey Dent groaned as he opened his one eye that still had an eyelid. The other eye also had sight as he sat up.

"Someone's awake." a hooded figure said.

"Wh-where am I? Am I in Hell?" Dent asked.

"You aren't. But you are not in Heaven or even Purgatory, Harvey Dent." the hooded figure replied.

There was a hollowness a certain empty feeling he felt as he sat up. What good was being alive without Rachel? For a brief instant he allowed himself to remember the softness of her touch, the taste of her kisses.

"How did I get here? How am I even still alive?" Harvey asked.

"You aren't alive Harvey in the strictest sense. Nor are you dead." the hooded figure said.

"Then what am I?" Harvey asked.

"You are a Nobody, Harvey Dent. When Rachel was taken from you and you died you surrendered the darkness in your heart. Whatever Heartless was created from that instance died before it could form. However you are still here." the hooded figure ask.

"How in the hell am I still alive without a heart!?" Harvey demanded.

"There are two manifestations of the heart. The biological heart which distributes blood through the body and the spiritual definition of the heart. The latter is what you lost to the Darkness with your beloved Rachel." the hooded figure replied.

"This is pure Kafka." Harvey Dent replied.

"I assure you Harvey Dent, Franz Kafka had no hand in creating your present state." the hooded figure said.

"Then who? The Joker?" Dent spat, "The mad clown is capable of many things but supernatural mumbo jumbo isn't one of them."

"In a sense you created this for yourself Harvey, when you allowed your anger at losing Rachel to cloud you." the hooded figure replied, "But we were the ones who brought you back to life."

"To what end?" Harvey Dent replied.

"The answers will come in due time. But for now, rest, scores you need to settle still await. There is the matter of one James Gordon and one Batman..." the hooded figure replied.

"Yes. Those are two who need to pay." Harvey Dent said.

"But wait for now. Harvey. There are aspects of being a Nobody you need to get used to before you traipse of for revenge." the hooded figure said.

For the time being Harvey was gonna listen to this hooded lunatic. But only just so much. "Revenge is a meal best served cold."

"I believe you might want this item." the hooded figure said as it pressed his father's coin into his hand.

"Who are you?" Harvey asked.

"I and more importantly my Organization are the closest things you have to friends right now..." the hooded figure replied ominously...

**---**

**To Be Continued....Up next. Ramirez's interrogation**,** Rachel's adjustments to life on this world**,** and the conditioning of the Dent Nobody. But have the mysterious hooded figures found more than they bargained for with Harvey Dent's Nobody?**

A/N: To fans of my other works, fear not I've not lost inspiration for them. This fic was one that just screamed to be written when I watched The Dark Knight.

Some Endnotes:

1. EOD - Explosive Ordnance Disposal

2. UXB - Unexploded Bomb.

3. Dusk - A lesser form of Nobody.

4. Nobody - From Kingdom Hearts 2: "If someone with a strong heart and will, be they evil or good, becomes a Heartless, the empty shell they leave behind begins to act with a will of its' own..." According to the cosmology of Kingdom Hearts Harvey Dent's Nobody is Harvey's body and soul. His heart was lost to the Darkness.


	2. Interrogations and First Days

Interrogations and First Days

* * *

Disclaimer: Same as before.

* * *

**From the Diary of Rachel Dawes**

**How to explain the last two weeks. This will take a few pages. Shortly after I arrived on this strange new world after being brought back to life by Lex Luthor of all people I was told I'd be nothing more than a scientific experiment. Some people from some other world broke me out of my prison. **

**Not even a day after I was brought to their world**, **three people from my world tried to kidnap me back into Luthor's clutches. I was saved by Sacha and Carl's intervention. I'm not ungrateful but I do wish Carl would have let everyone know what he was doing. What if Sacha hadn't shot those three as quickly as he did? What if they managed to get away with me? I'd be in Lex's lab having God knows what done to me.**

**I'm still somewhat annoyed with Carl for pulling that stunt**, **but at the same time I'm grateful I've got him watching my back.**

**I wonder how Harvey is? Is he alright? Ramirez's statement a couple weeks ago that Harvey supposedly went mad when I died is still on my mind. Did he? Did he really lose his mind like that. I just don't know and it's really bugging me. **

**I keep thinking of that night on the balcony of Bruce's penthouse. The night Harvey proposed. I remember one line: "What you can't stand to lose." **

**Could my death really have unhinged him to kill three people like Ramirez said? It breaks my heart to know that it could be true. But how much stock can I put in a liar's word? **

**But I still hear that sentence from Harvey's proposal: "What you can't stand to lose." I know he meant me. It's possible that my death could have driven him to murder three people. **

**I wound up taking a job with the UN as part of its Legal Affairs bureau. I interviewed for the job. The board knew of my legal background in Gotham. I found out that it was covered in Cobra Bubbles' report.**

**Cobra. If anyone ever fit the profile of the laconic big black guy it would be Cobra Bubbles at a first glance. Nani actually said he's kind of like Morpheus from the Matrix. Knows everything and can kick your ass before you can even blink. What's even more interesting is not only was he a former CIA spook and current captain of the UN Infinity Ship Ohana but he's also a trained social worker. **

**I still have some emotional moments**,** it was right after Ramirez said that Harvey had gone mad after I died that I couldn't stop crying. It was shortly after Nani went to my room to let me know dinner was ready that she called Cobra to come over. **

**Right then and there he talked to me. Asked me how I was feeling. And encouraged me to be honest. I don't quite know what it is about him but I poured my heart out about the whole thing with what Ramirez said**,** the stress of almost being a labrat for however long I would live**,** the fear that Lex is still trying to recapture me...**

**It was almost two hours later. Two hours he listened**,** let me get everything off my chest. I think I went through the other half of the box of tissues by my bed before he suggested I get something to eat and some rest. If I wanted some more counseling he'd be more than happy to take up practicing again.**

**I actually have an appointment today...**

**---**

Rachel headed into the Starbucks down the block from her office. She'd been adjusting to living on a new world and her new job as a legal advisor and arbiter with the United Nations meant she was a busy woman. She saw Carl Allenby sitting at a table with a tall, slightly potbellied gentleman in his mid-thirties who bore a passing resemblance to Principal Rooney from Ferris Bueller's Day Off and a broad shouldered fellow in his early thirties. All three were in their Army Combat Uniforms but were obviously off duty.

"Those guys are idiots! I swear!" 1LT Carl Allenby said.

Sergeant First Class Adam Thorne, the Principal Rooney lookalike, guffawed loudly, "LT it's about time you were introduced to the wonders of Iraqi EOD units."

"Yeah. The fact that those clowns roll onto the scene with a large sledge hammer in the back of the truck doesn't reassure me at all." Carl replied.

"LT that's nothing. Wait till you run across those African EOD units. Some of those guys hit suspected devices with 12 foot bamboo poles." Staff Sergeant Whitmeyer, the stocky broad shouldered man, replied.

"Besides, hadn't you deployed overseas at all?" Thorne asked.

"No. By the time I was commissioned the Great Panic was going on. I fought in the campaigns to secure the Rocky Line and retaking the East Coast. I never once went overseas until last week."

"Nice, sir, we got to pop your Overseas Service Cherry." Thorne replied.

As Carl spoke his eyes wandered and his grin suddenly broadened. He saw Rachel walking in. She was wearing a black tailored skirt suit, and small two inch pumps. Her hair was done up in a conservative bun behind her head.

"LT you got a case of lazy eye?" Thorne said as his own eyes moved, "Nice."

"What do you think, LT?" Whitmeyer said.

"About?" Allenby said. He was hoping that Rachel wasn't overhearing their conversation. But she was far enough away, getting her cup of coffee.

"What was her name again? Rachel?" Whitmeyer said.

"She seems nice." Allenby replied.

"Meaning?" Thorne replied.

"Meaning nice." Allenby said, "Besides shouldn't we not talk about her like that? I mean she is in the room for one and for two..."

"And for two LT's smitten." Whitmeyer replied.

"My own personal feelings about Ms. Dawes, Sergeant, are just that. Personal." Allenby replied.

"Roger that LT." Whitmeyer said with a broad grin.

"If you'll excuse me." Allenby said as he stood up.

"Go for it, LT." Thorne joked.

---

Rachel had just gotten her coffee from the vendor when she noticed Carl Allenby heading her way.

"Hey you. How's everything going?" Carl said as he headed over.

"Fine." Rachel said.

"Settling in OK at work?" Carl asked.

"Yeah." Rachel replied, "I got that job with the UN. I'm working in their Legal Affairs section. How about you?"

"Nice." Carl replied, "Well. I'll say one thing. Iraqi EOD is scary. They tend to roll into the field with a big hammer in the back of the truck.

"Carl, I did take a tour of the Kane'ohe base. I also saw the EOD unit there. They've got a hammer in the toolbox." Rachel replied.

"Those were American EOD units, Marines sure, but American EOD. I don't usually hit suspected bombs with hammers..." Carl replied, "Or shoot them."

"No. You just mess with things that explode." Rachel quipped.

"Yeah. But I don't whack them with hammers." Carl replied, "Anyway, how's work treated you?"

"Arbitrated my first case." Rachel said, "It was a property ownership argument. Apparently a family from Greece that fled to Crete was trying to move back in when some landowner over there said that that vineyard was his based on some obscure law in Greece."

Carl replied, "Sounds like those pricks that tried buying up people's houses before they can be reclaimed. Thank God Mr. Sinclair is tough on profiteers like that."

"Mr. Sinclair? Sounds familiar..." Rachel replied.

"He's the guy we call 'the Money Cop', he was the former head of DeStRes." Carl replied, "Now he's the man the president has put in charge of getting the economy in a better state. Personally I like him. He's the one who got us from a zero-sum survival economy to a wartime footing."

"Are you an economics major, Carl?" Rachel asked.

"Actually no. I studied philosophy and history." Carl replied.

"Interesting." Rachel said, "A philosopher with a somewhat pathological addiction to rugby and not to mention a walking encyclopedia on things that go boom."

"Well counselor that is what I do. I make things that go boom go away. Plus it's just plain cool to blow things up." Carl joked.

"I thought EOD meant you guys make things _not_ explode." Rachel replied.

"True." Carl replied, "But we remove explosives from the battlefield or anywhere else by the safest means available. The BIP or Blast in Place option is usually the safest. We cordon the area off and then put a charge on the device and stand back and watch the fireworks."

"You were a pyromaniac as a child, weren't you?" Rachel asked.

"Actually the only fire I started was the time I set the living room rug on fire when I was eight." Carl replied.

"How did you manage that?" Rachel said.

"Whoa. Whoa. Let's not delve too deeply into the past." Carl replied.

"I could subpoena the past you know." Rachel said.

"I bet you could." Carl replied, "I'd hate to be on the other side of the witness stand from you."

"I could call you in as a witness you know. As an expert." Rachel said.

"No. I wasn't talking about _that_ sort of witness. I meant I'd hate to be the accused you're prosecuting." Carl replied.

"Just don't get arrested by the UN and you'll be fine." Rachel said, "No war crimes or anything of that sort."

"I'll be sure to do that." Carl replied.

"I've gotta get back to work anyway." Rachel replied as she left the Starbucks.

---

Rachel sat down on the couch as Cobra asked, "How are you feeling?"

"A little better. Taking that job with the UN was a good idea." Rachel replied.

"Good to hear." Cobra replied.

"Work's kind of helpful for focusing on things. It keeps me from thinking of Harvey too much." Rachel replied.

"Do you think of him all the time?" Cobra said.

"Like I said work helps." Rachel replied.

"You can't just throw your life into your work. You have to have some life outside of work. I understand that you're still mourning Harvey and trying to adjust. Cloistering yourself off like that isn't the best coping strategy." Cobra replied.

"I know. It's just sometimes it gets overwhelming. First the very idea that I've been brought back to life. I'm now free to live my life but there's no-one that I know here outside Nani's household. Ramirez doesn't count." Rachel replied, "And then I really remember Harvey. It's really bad at night. I'll just remember something about us and I can't stop crying."

"Are there times you haven't thought of Harvey?" Cobra asked as Rachel was about to answer he added, "Work doesn't count."

"Well. I ran into Carl Allenby at Starbucks. We struck up a little conversation." Rachel replied.

"Tell me about it." Cobra said.

"It wasn't anything huge. I was getting a cup of coffee toward the end of a working lunch when I ran into him." Rachel replied, "We struck up a conversation and I really didn't think of Harvey until I got back to the office."

"Really? That's sign of progress in my opinion." Cobra said.

"I just felt guilty about it...I mean my death had to have devastated him. And I can't call him, I can't get in touch with him. Nothing." Rachel replied, "I understand that you're trying to protect me. But its driving me crazy."

"I know it's hard for you. And I'm not gonna lie that it's gonna get any easier or spout out cliches." Cobra said.

"Easier?" Rachel said, "Easier? I'm supposed to think that being brought back to life, told I'm gonna be an experiment, rescued by people from another dimension, and worrying sick about people I love is going get easier."

Cobra said, "Rachel. I understand you're upset." Cobra said, "I understand that you worry about Harvey. And that you wonder what happened to him after you died. There really is no easy solution to it. But you're not helping things by worrying yourself sick. And work isn't the best escape. When was the last time you did anything other than work?"

"So you're saying I should forget about Harvey?" Rachel replied.

"I'm not asking you to forget. I'm asking you try and have a life outside of work. That you remember Harvey but don't squander this second chance." Cobra said.

_He is right. What's the point of being brought back to life again if I don't enjoy it? _Rachel thought. But then another thought struck home. _How can I enjoy it? _

"Nani had a big outing planned I heard." Cobra replied, "I suggest you come along with them."

"I'll think about it." Rachel replied.

---

Rachel walked upstairs as Nani said, "Rachel, a bunch of us are planning to go out to Louie Kona's tonight. Do you want to come with us?"

"Sure." Rachel said.

"Hey. Someone's coming out of their cave." Lilo joked.

"We've gotta get you something to wear." Nani said.

"I've already bought my wardrobe earlier." Rachel replied as she took her jacket off.

"We need to get you looking good to go out. Not to work or lounge around the house." Nani replied, "I'm sure I can pick out a nice outfit for you."

"Nani. It's just an evening out. It's not like I'm Cinderella going to the ball..." Rachel replied.

About an hour and some change later David was waiting in the living room. He'd already dressed for the night and Lilo was waiting with Stitch downstairs watching the television.

"Nani always takes forever to get ready." Lilo wryly observed.

"You said it." David replied.

There was a knock on the door. "Come in. It's open." David replied.

Carl and Sacha walked in. "So are you guys ready yet?" Sacha asked.

"Just waiting on Nani. And Rachel." David replied.

"Rachel's coming out with us?" Carl asked.

"That's what Nani said."

"Nice." Carl beamed.

"Someone's smitten..." Sacha commented.

"What? No." Carl replied, "I'm just glad she's going out with us. Enjoying herself for a change."

"Oh that's bullshit. I can see you're definitely smitten with her. You've been interested in her since we rescued her." Sacha observed.

"No." Carl said, "I..."

"So you're saying you don't find Rachel attractive?" Sacha asked.

_Christ Sacha_. Carl thought. "Of course I think she's attractive." Carl replied, "It's just a little more complicated than that. I mean she's just been taken from everything she knew. She can't go back and she still worries about her fiancé. She has no idea whether he's alive or dead..."

Just then Nani came down the stairs. "May I present to you our guest of honor: Rachel Dawes."

Rachel came down the stairs wearing a nice pair of jeans which fit her well in all the right places, a nice short sleeved blouse, as well as a nice pair of high heeled boots. Her hair was done up in a nice twist which really brought out her eyes.

Carl smiled at her, "You look great."

Rachel smiled back, "Thank you."

"If you guys are done gawking at each other can we get to the restaurant now. I'm starving." Lilo remarked.

"Sure. Sorry about that." Carl replied.

They piled into two vehicles. Nani's car had David, Rachel, Lilo and Stitch. Carl's truck had him and Sacha.

"What was that all about?" Lilo asked Rachel.

"What?" Rachel asked.

"You and Carl just gawking at each other." Lilo said.

"Lilo." Nani chided her.

"It's OK, Nani." Rachel replied, "Lilo, he was just paying me a compliment."

"Oh so you're telling me you don't find him attractive?" Lilo said.

Rachel felt the heat rise to her cheeks. What was it about Lilo? She was precocious to a point. Insightful. Intelligent. _Get a hold of yourself. _Rachel thought. _Carl was just being nice with that compliment. And besides. I'm engaged to Harvey..._

"And besides. Lilo. I'm engaged." Rachel replied. The thought of Harvey again made her heart hurt but she gamely kept herself from crying.

"Lilo. Don't be rude." Nani admonished.

Meanwhile in Carl's truck Sacha asked. "So you're telling me you don't find Rachel attractive?"

"Of course I think she's attractive. I'd have to be a eunuch or a homosexual _not _to find her to be beautiful but like I said it's more complicated than that." Carl replied.

"Complicated. You're the one making it complicated." Sacha said.

"Hey. I'm saying I'm giving it time." Carl said.

"Don't give too much time." Sacha said. "I think you could well have competition."

"Who, specifically." Carl said, "And anyway. It's not like Rachel's an available bachelorette. She did mention she has a fiancé."

"But back on her world." Sacha said, "And for all you know he's probably moved on."

"She still misses him though." Carl said as they pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant.

They all sat down at a table at Kamehameha Bar and Grill and ordered their meals. The decor was a tropical theme. Rachel decided that she liked the place. It had the cozy air of a small restaurant, yet the vibe of a larger establishment.

"So what's the occasion for tonight's outing?" Sacha said, "Besides avoiding Nani's cooking."

Laughter echoed around the table and despite herself Rachel laughed lightly. She once tried to be nice and tried one of Nani's dishes. She immediately regretted that decision.

"I think my stomach is suing my brain as is my mouth and tongue." Rachel added.

Nani protested, "My cooking is not that bad!!"

"Nani. Need I remind you that if cockroaches avoid any dish you've cooked that is a sure sign that you're a lousy cook." Carl added.

"Very funny." Nani replied.

"But true." Lilo observed.

"Lilo." Nani said, "Where's the sibling loyalty. My cooking isn't that bad..."

"Blech!" Stitch said.

"Nani. If even Rachel, one of the nicest people we know won't touch your cooking then we know it's bad." Lilo smirked.

Nani turned crimson at that point as everyone laughed.

Carl added, "Yeah. Your cooking did scare rats into suicide at one point."

"Oh go play in a minefield!" Nani said.

"Careful he might actually do it." Sacha said.

Rachel observed to herself. _This reminds me of that one place in Gotham. I just remember Harvey used to take me there for working lunches and...Oh God..._

"Excuse me." Rachel said as she stood up and abruptly left the table.

Everyone glanced at each other as Carl stood up from the table, "I'll be right back."

---

Rachel stood out by the parking lot, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue. She felt terrible. Harvey had to be going through probably one of the worst moments of his life right now and here she was having fun...

"Hey." a voice said softly.

Rachel turned to see Carl Allenby standing there.

"I'd be an idiot to ask if you're feeling alright when you're clearly not." Carl said.

"Thank you Carl." Rachel replied.

After an awkward silence Rachel asked, "Had you ever loved someone before and lost them?"

"Actually yes." Carl replied, "It was many years ago. Back when we were on the drive East."

Rachel's gaze softened as she could see it in his eyes. It hurt for him to even mention her, that much she could tell, "I'm so sorry."

"It's alright." Carl replied, "It was years ago."

Rachel didn't want to pry.

"Anything you want to talk about?" Carl asked. "It might help to get it off your chest."

Rachel sighed, "I sometimes can't stop thinking of everyone back home. My mother. Bruce, one of my oldest friends. Harvey, my fiancé. My death had to have hit them hard. And then Luthor brought me back to life, only to tell me that I'm a science experiment for the rest of my life. Then you guys come and save me. On one hand I'm making a life for myself here. On another hand I wonder how everyone...Oh God."

Carl took Rachel in his arms, he could feel her tears soaking into his shirt, could smell her perfume, he could feel her heartbeat. God, it killed him to see her like this.

After a few moments, Rachel calmed down. Her sobs became a few sniffles before abating entirely.

"Are you feeling better?" Carl asked.

"A little." Rachel said, weakly.

"Do you want me to drop you off at home?" Carl asked.

"I'll be alright. I just needed to get that off my chest." Rachel replied.

"Hey. If you need to talk or anything, I live just next door. Anytime you need to vent. I'll be there for you." Carl replied.

"Thank you." Rachel said.

After Rachel dabbed at her face with a tissue one last time they walked back inside just as their main course arrived.

"About time you two showed up. We were beginning to worry." Sacha remarked. There was a jovial, joking tone in his voice, however, was only partially so. There was the distinct possibility that more of Lex Luthor's minions were lurking out there to take Rachel back into his clutches.

"Are you feeling alright?" Nani asked.

"I'm OK." Rachel said as they ate dinner.

Dinner went on without any drama and they all headed to their respective homes. Rachel headed up to her bedroom before changing into her pajamas. She lay on her back on the bed for a moment, staring at the ceiling fan as it oscillated.

She thought about the last day. She enjoyed the time out with Nani and all the others. She felt that she was among friends, and not simply an unwelcome guest who'd overstayed her welcome. She still felt that pang of guilt for feeling like she'd forgotten Harvey by enjoying the night she'd spent out with everyone.

_How would Harvey want me to act? How would mom want me to act? _Rachel thought.

In a confused but certainly less depressed state Rachel fell asleep.

---

Cobra Bubbles sat back in his chair at the study that doubled as his office. He still maintained a license as a social worker and counselor and within the last few weeks his relatively small practice had grown by exactly one soul. Rachel Dawes.

And another person and a member of his own crew to boot had decided to utilize his practice. Carl Allenby was due to stop by. The EOD operative had a tendency to keep to himself about his personal matters so this was an unprecedented step.

He heard the knock on the door and said, "Come in."

Carl walked in just then. "So, how was your first ever overseas assignment?" Cobra said.

"I can't complain." Carl replied.

Cobra fixed him with that enigmatic two millimeter grin, "Sergeant Thorne said that those Iraqi EOD units really had you somewhat uptight."

"Their ideas of Render Safe Procedures, while well intentioned, definitely are an instant cure for constipation for any units that happen to be observing them." Carl replied.

"I do recall someone ducking behind the JERRV(1)..." Cobra said.

"First off. You didn't see those idiots form a line, sprint down a field, and yank wires out of a suspected device." Carl snapped back, "And if I recall correctly Sergeant Thorne dove behind another truck and Sergeant Whitmeyer colliding with Corporal Dose as he was scrambling to get inside the JERRV."

"But your latest war story isn't why you're here, is it?" Cobra added.

"No." Carl said.

"Some feelings are coming up. Aren't they?" Cobra asked.

"Are you talking about Rachel?" Carl asked.

"I'm assuming this is why you asked to see me." Cobra added.

"Yes." Carl replied.

"You're confused about how you feel about Rachel." Cobra added, "I understand that it's been quite a few years and it has been hard since Abbi..."

"That's part of it." Carl said.

"Lockwood Estates." Cobra said.

"What we found over there, during Army Group's drive to the coast of Maine. The laboratory complex. The human experimentation. The sick fuck who experimented on refugees he lured in, with open band transmissions...That gave me more nightmares than the bugout West, Windy City, and the Battle of New York combined." Carl replied.

"How does this tie into how you feel about Rachel?" Cobra asked.

"A lot's been on my mind since we got Rachel out of that hellhole that Luthor was keeping her in." Carl replied.

"Your encounter at Lockwood Estates would seem to explain the strong feelings you have regarding Lex's experimenting on Rachel and your rather protective behavior whenever she's concerned." Cobra said.

"And one more thing. You're right. I am protective when it comes to Rachel. I've come to value her as a friend since I met her. But I've been feeling different lately." Carl said.

"You feel more than friendly attentions to her you mean." Cobra said.

"Yeah." Carl replied, "It's slightly worrying."

"Slightly?" Cobra said, "I've noticed no deterioration in any of the quality of your work if that's what you're worried about."

"No. It's something else I can't quite pin down." Carl replied.

"Carl, there's nothing wrong with being attracted to Rachel." Cobra said, "It's perfectly natural. You two have been getting rather friendly over the past couple weeks. You had your first date last night."

"Cobra. I wouldn't call going out to Louie Kona's with a group of friends a date." Carl replied.

"In a loose definition of the word date." Cobra said, "When would you say you first felt you were attracted to Rachel?"

"In some ways, practically since I met her." Carl said, "I really can't say when exactly it crossed to romantic feelings but I know I thought Rachel was something special practically since we met."

"So your feelings seem to have evolved from sympathy to friendship to the beginnings of romantic feelings. I can't see how you feel you need psychological help for something natural like that." Cobra replied.

"I guess I also feel like I'm being disloyal to Abbi." Carl said.

"You know Abbi's been dead for nearly four years now." Cobra replied.

"You don't need to remind me." Carl said, "That's one more thing I've gotta thank the Windy City of Chicago for."

"How do you think Abbi would have wanted you to approach this?" Cobra asked.

"We never really discussed what would happen if one of us didn't survive the war." Carl said, "But in the few really tentative talks we had I told her if I died to move on with her life. She said something similar..."

**Forward Operating Base Resurgence, three years earlier:** _The perimeter had been built around Chicago. Several Forward Operating Bases had been constructed around what the US Army called the CQZ or Chicago Quarantine Zone. _

_Reconnaissance was being carried out. Everything from satellites to unmanned aerial vehicles to scout helicopters and K-9 recon assets was being used. Foot and vehicle patrols were being carried out for further reconnaissance. _

_2__nd__ Lieutenant Carl Allenby of the 129__th__ Ordnance Company (EOD) stepped outside of his JERRV just as a trio of M1151 Humvees pulled into parking. He smiled when he recognized the markings of the Human Reclamation Units. It was a joint civilian and military operation dedicated to retrieving feral humans. They were typically children who'd lost their parents and had survived on their own._

_Among the group of soldiers and civilians was a slender young woman. Her dark hair brown hair was done up in a conservative bun with a few loose tendrils. She noticed Carl climbing out of the JERRV and smiled at him._

_He saw Abbi Groover as she stepped from the truck. She was one of the civilian volunteers with the HRU and thus didn't wear a uniform. He saw her around the same time she did and he lightly took her in his arms_,_ trying to maintain professionalism when Abbi was concerned was difficult._

_He heard the sound of someone clearing his throat. He found himself facing a hulking_,_ dark haired_ _major of Native American descent. The shoulder patch on his arm was that of the US Army Special Forces. "Sir." _

_Major Chakotay looked at him and said_,_ "Morning Lieutenant Allenby." _

_Chakotay was Abbi's team leader. He knew about the relationship Abbi Groover and the EOD operative. "Be sure she gets that situation report filed before our next mission." _

"_Yes sir." Carl replied._

"_All right guys." Chakotay said_,_ "Make sure everything's ready to go by 0700 tommorrow. SP time's at 0800." _

"_Major. With you're permission I'd like to accompany you guys." Carl said. _

"_How many men and vehicles?" Chakotay asked._

"_One JERRV and five men." Carl replied_,_ "I wanted to take a closer look of possible UXO and IED hazards in the area. Some of those LaMOE (__2__) jobs can be pretty nasty._

"_I concur Lieutenant." Chakotay replied_,_ "EOD support would be most welcome." _

"_If you'll excuse me sir_,_ I'm going to get some rest." Abbi said with a slight wink at Carl. _

"_Sounds like a good idea." Chakotay said with a 'Do what you gotta do' expression on his face._

"_I'll see you at 0700 sir." Carl said._

_Right when Abbi rounded the corner to the bank of small rooms that served as the barracks for the Human Reclamation Unit and the EOD detachment she grabbed a hold of Carl's ACU top and drew him close. He kissed her deeply in response as they held one another._

_After what felt like eternity they broke the kiss as Abbi said_,_ "Miss me?"_

"_Very much_,_ darling." Carl said as he gently guided her to the door of his room. He opened the room and stepped aside_,_ letting her enter. Carl removed his ACU cap and removed his boots and left them next to the now closed door after he entered. _

"_You have it pretty cozy in here." Abbi remarked as she slid her own hiking shoes off her feet and hung her fleece jacket on the hook. Carl removed his own ACU blouse and hanged it on the wall before putting his M4A1 Carbine on the rifle rack. _

_He kissed her lightly as he headed for his bed and lay down on his back. Abbi lay on the bed as well_,_ resting her head on his chest. He wrapped an arm around her narrow waist_,_ just above her hips._

_Abbi kissed him back a little deeper. "I specifically spruced up because you were coming." Carl remarked. _

"_Mmm_,_ I appreciate it." Abbi replied as she shifted position_.

"_Lately I've been thinking." Carl said_,_ "It was since the brass said we could incur as high as 70% casualties when we go into Chicago." _

"_Don't be fatalistic like that." Abbi admonished._

"_It could be that one of us won't survive." Carl said_,_ "It could be either of us." _

"_With guys like Chakotay in the unit and the escort infantry we're much safer than we used to be." Abbi said._

"_Frankly as a lover I worry sick. Especially that the HRU's used to have a high casualty rate." Carl replied._

"_When they started assigning us infantry escort and putting combat veterans into our unit our survival rate went up to better than 80%." Abbi protested._

"_That's still twenty percent too many casualties." Carl protested._

"_What about EOD? You guys have had quite a number of casualties during the push East. There were those twenty guys from the 172__nd__ Ordnance Company at the Black Hills. Those Separatist booby traps." Abbi replied._

"_The largest EOD casualty list in recent history." Carl replied. _

"_That could be you next..." Abbi replied_,_ "What if I lost you? I don't want to even imagine that..."_

"_Abbi. If it did happen like that_,_ I'd want you to move on with your life." Carl replied_,_ "I wouldn't want you to mourn for the rest of your days."_

"_Please. Let's change the subject." Abbi replied_...

**Present day: **"What else did Abbi say?" Cobra asked_. _

"I didn't pursue any further. I just enjoyed the night with her. Just enjoyed how her presence soothed me..." Carl replied.

"You never asked her?" Cobra said.

"I didn't want to even imagine what would happen if I lost her. And then I did..." Carl said before he walked out.

---

Rachel Dawes headed into the break room of the UN Legal Affairs office.

"Coffee?" came the French accented voice from behind her.

"You read my mind Louis." Rachel said.

"My own recipe." Louis replied, "Or rather my wife's."

Rachel sipped the coffee. It had a somewhat spicy taste to it,like a lot of Middle Eastern coffees did.

"This is good. Where's it from?" Rachel asked.

"My wife is from Lebanon." Louis replied,"Her family has been making coffee for generations."

"I love it." Rachel replied.

"I'll see if I can't give you a share." Louis replied,"My wife's family recently reacquired their old coffee business."

"I'd like that." Rachel smiled, "Thank you Louis."

"I'd been meaning to ask you, Rachel. We've been working with each other for almost two weeks and I realize I know very little about you. If it's not too personal, tell me about yourself."

"Well. I was the assistant DA in...my old life in Gotham." Rachel replied.

"Your old life?" Louis asked.

Rachel gave a civil smile, "It's really a long story, Louis."

"Ah, the pains of a lost love are the most hurtful of all." Louis replied.

"Did anyone tell you you're perpetuating the stereotype of the_ overly _romantic Frenchman." Rachel replied.

"Ah. That is the Italians that are the real romantics of Europe. Not the French." Louis replied as he walked out of the room.

Rachel felt odd that she didn't break down in tears. Especially when Louis brought up her past life, but Louis didn't pursue it when he sensed that it was hurting her to talk about it. She somehow felt the pain of memory was a little less intense.

_---_

"What is your involvement with Lex Luthor?" Cobra Bubbles began.

"Where's my incentive to even answer your questions?" Ramirez asked.

"None. Frankly we know Luthor sent you to kidnap Rachel and I don't think he'll take too kindly on you knowing you've failed." Cobra Bubbles replied, "I could simply send you back to Lex Luthor with the obvious information that you failed to kidnap Rachel..."

"A few weeks after the Joker rampaged through Gotham City and Rachel died, Commissioner Gordon suspended me from the force indefinitely. Not even two weeks later I received an offer from LexCorps, to work for their security department. I didn't think anything of it when I was asked if I knew Rachel Dawes. A few weeks later I heard of a Project Phoenix. I was put to work, mostly in making sure people didn't poke around LexCorps Labs, bribing various officials in Gotham, people at the mortuary affairs unit. But I never really connected what was going on until I saw it."

Cobra asked, "Saw what?"

"Her body. Rachel's body." Ramirez replied, "They'd cut open her skull and..."

"And..." Cobra said.

"I don't want to say any more..." Ramirez said.

"Detective Ramirez," Cobra said, "You bribed officials to exhume the body of Rachel Dawes, looked the other way while LexCorp performed illegal and unethical experiments, and then attempted to kidnap Rachel..."

"She exists only because LexCorp brought her back to life. They own her." Ramirez said.

"I'd hate to have Lieutenant Allenby hear that statement. He has an especially deep hatred of human experimentation." Cobra Bubbles said.

"Is that even legal?" Ramirez said blanched. She remembered the somewhat swarthy man with the .45 caliber pistol.

"You are the last person to debate legality with me." Cobra Bubbles said, "Now what exactly did LexCorp have planned in case of something like this?"

"Obviously my team was one instructed to bring the experiment..." Ramirez began before Cobra glared at her, "I mean, Rachel back if she escaped or was taken."

"Any other teams?" Cobra asked.

"There were plans and other teams but I'm not certain what happened to them." Ramirez replied.

---

"Admit it." Sacha said, "You're in love with Rachel."

"What?" Carl replied, "It's a little soon to be making declarations like that."

"Alright you're at least attracted to her." Sacha began.

"What makes you say that?" Carl replied.

"Well, let us review the evidence, shall we?" Sacha replied.

"Do lets." Carl replied.

"First let's consider the fact that you came by the infirmary multiple times after Rachel fainted during her rescue." Sacha said.

"Anyone would have been concerned if someone passed out on them." Carl replied.

"Then the fact that you were alone with her after the kidnaping attempt." Sacha added.

"Sacha, first off my 'being alone with Rachel' consisted of exactly the twenty-three minutes it took me to drive her to the hospital where David was being treated." Carl replied.

"Then let's jump to Louie Kona's two nights ago." Sacha said, "Rachel seemed upset by something and you stood up to follow."

"For crying out loud it could just be I was worried someone would try and snatch her again..." Carl replied.

The Chechen sniper fixed the EOD operative with gaze, "And you were worried about her emotional state."

"Alright. Alright. Perhaps I might have begun to develop feelings for her. Call off the detective work. I admit it." Carl replied.

"So what confession have I just overheard." Rae Cohen said.

"The one where our friend Carl admitted his somewhat amorous feelings for a certain someone." Carl replied.

"And who is this certain someone?" Rae Cohen asked.

Carl rolled his eyes.

"I could make it an order, lieutenant. I am a captain after all?" Rae added.

Carl rolled his eyes again.

"It's Rachel isn't it?" Rae replied, "I knew it. You've doted on her for a long time."

"Caught me red handed." Carl replied, "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to check on a couple things at the shop."

"Say hi to Rachel if you see her." Rae replied, "Mind if I sit down."

"Sure." Sacha said.

"So, you're around Carl more than any of us. What do you think? Has he developed this crush on Rachel recently?" Rae replied.

"I think he's liked her since he met her." Sacha replied.

At this point a balding fellow with a slight paunch wearing the camouflage uniform of the Serbian Army, with a heraldic shield sewn into the left shoulder, walked into the dining area. He went to get a cup of coffee before sitting down with Sacha and Rae.

"Morning Nikolai." Rae said, "Do you think there's any truth to the rumor about Lieutenant Allenby?"

"The one where he supposedly has feelings for Rachel Dawes?" Nikolai commented, "I've heard all about it. Snipers are by our nature observant."

"So are doctors." Rae had said, "By the way, Nikolai Radu, you are overdue for a few immunizations..."

The Serbian grumbled as he followed Rae into the infirmary.

Meanwhile Rachel and Louis were sitting in the ship's small library. "Rachel, you've got the briefs for the Paris legal conference?"

"Yes I do, Louis and our agenda for our visit to France. After the Paris Tribunal we've got the Aquitaine Legal Conference and a tour of the Aquitaine castles..." Rachel said, "Interesting. I read the reports on how many old European castles were used as refuges, many of them successfully against multiple sieges by the Heartless."

"Ah you're knowledge of our history is impressive." Louis replied.

"You fought in the campaigns to liberate France when you were in the Army didn't you?" Rachel asked.

"_Oui Madmoiselle_, I fought in the war to reclaim France." Louis replied.

"Were you at Versailles?" Rachel asked.

"Oh no no. That was a disaster with not one survivor. Thousands thought they could seek refuge at the castle of Versailles. Little did they realize that it was little more than a palatial and thus militarily unsuitable dwelling. We built our memorial garden on the ashes of Versailles. Our poet Renard said how the petals of the roses are stained red with the blood of damned."

"Where did you fight in France?" Rachel asked.

"I fought in the retreat into the Pyrenees stronghold with the 8th French Parachute Regiment." Louis replied, "Then we fought our way past our Pyrenees Redoubt to retake France. Hard fought campaigns every one of them. Hardest fought was Paris."

Rachel was about to reply when Louis continued, "Every place I've gone since the end of the war people are forever bragging and chest thumping about their war was the toughest. Jungle warfare. Mountain warfare. Desert warfare. Oh and Urban warfare. They love to brag about cities. Nothing more terrifying than fighting in a city...Oh really. Try underneath one!"

"Do you know why the Paris skyline was devoid of skyskrapers. I'm referring of course to the prewar proper Paris skyline of course. There's civic pride of course, unlike that architectural mongrel called London. Why else would they have stuck those steel and glass monstrosities out in _La Defense_? Also the earth below is too tunneled to support it." Louis continued.

Rachel stayed quiet for a moment as Louis continued on, "There are Roman tombs, quarries that supplied limestone for much of the city, even World War II bunkers used by the Resistance. Add to that the modern Metro, telephone and gas lines, the water pipes and the catacombs. Roughly six million bodies were buried there, taken from pre-Revolution cemeteries and tossed in like rubbish. The catacombs contained entire walls of skulls and bones arranged in macabre though functional patterns, the interlocking bones holding mounds of loose remains behind them. The skulls always seemed to laugh at me."

There was an intensity Louis, replacing the normally calm, family minded man. "I can't blame the civilians who tried to survive in that subterranean world. They didn't have the civilian survival manual back then. There was no Radio Free Earth..."

"Radio Free Earth?" Rachel asked.

"Ah, that was a radio broadcast by an adhoc group of operators throughout the world who would dispense practical survival advice on all bands." Louis replied, "Anyway. I don't blame the poor souls who tried to live in that subterranean world. It was the Great Panic. Perhaps a few who thought they knew these tunnels tried to make a go at it. Then a few more souls followed them. Then the word spread: "It's safe underground." A quarter of a million refugees, that's what the bone counters estimate. Maybe if they had been organized, thought to bring tools or food, even had enough sense to seal the tunnels behind them and make damn sure that the people coming in weren't infected..."

Rachel saw Louis take a deep breath and continue, "How can anyone claim that their experience can compare to anything we endured? The darkness and the stink...we had practically no night vision goggles, just one pair per platoon if you were lucky. Spare batteries for the electric torches were also hard to come by. Sometimes only one unit working for an entire squad, just one for the point man to cut through the darkness with a single red beam."

Rachel imagined the subterranean hellhole that Louis was describing. Bones lining walls. Choking darkness. A single flashlight for a small group of soldiers.

"The air was toxic with sewage, chemicals, rotten flesh and the gas masks were a joke. Most of the filters had long expired. We used anything we could find. Old military models. Firefighting hoods that made you deaf as well as blind and made one sweat like a pig. You never knew where you were while staring through that misty visor and listening to the crackle of your radio and the voices of your squadmates."

Louis continued, "We had to use hardwired radiosets. Airwave transmissions were simply too unreliable in the tunnels. Most often the wire was our only way to prevent getting lost."

"Did that happen often?" Rachel asked.

"All the time." Louis replied, "All the maps were pre-war, not taking into modifications made by the survivors, interconnecting tunnels, alcoves, unexpected holes in the floor. Units would lose their way at least once a day. Sometimes a few minutes. Sometimes hours. Sometimes days."

"But what if another unit needed help?" Rachel asked.

"You'd hear the cries over the radio or echoing through the tunnels. The acoustics were evil almost taunting you. Screams and shrieks came from every direction. You had no idea where they were coming from. At least with the radio you could try and get a fix on your comrades position. If they knew where they were. If you knew where you were. If they weren't panicked..." Louis continued, "The running: dashing through passageways, banging your head or your shins on pipes, crawling on hands and knees and praying to the Virgin that they hold out for just that much longer. You reach their position only to find an empty chamber that your fellow soldiers are a long way off. Or it's taken too long to reach their position and nothing remains but blood and bodies..."

Rachel felt a shiver go through her. Louis had always been one hell of a storyteller but usually they were amusing little yarns he'd use to make her and her officemates laugh. But now the witty French lawyer was gone and in his place she saw a former French soldier who'd fought through the liberation of his homeland.

"If you find some Heartless are still there, a chance for vengeance. If it has been that recently the vengeance might include some of your friends who lost their hearts to the filth. Close combat. Like so..." Louis said his face less than an inch from Rachel's.

Rachel felt the shiver again from the faux intimacy of Louis position. Louis moved his face back to conversational distance before continuing to tell his story: "No standard equipment. Whatever one believed would be suitable in such close quarters. There were no firearms, you understand. The air, the gas was so flammable. The fire from a gun..."

Louis gestured with a rapidly opening fist and an audible popping sound. Rachel gulped as she remembered her own death from an explosion.

"We had the Beretta-Grechio air carbine, a model based on a child's CO2 gun. You had enough for four or five shots. Six or seven if you pressed the weapon directly against the creatures. Good weapon but not enough of them. And you had to be careful. If the ball struck the stone walls at a bad angle or even created one little spark...entire tunnels would catch in a massive conflagration, huge explosions buried men alive or melted their gas masks to their faces. Hand to hand was always better. Here..."

Louis reached into the inner pocket of his suit jacket. In his hand was what resembled a pair of brass knuckles with an eight inch metal spike protruding out of the bottom. There was a second spike at a ninety-degree angle from the first.

"No room to swing blades in some tunnels. Quick stabs through the eye or into the chest or neck or even over the top of the head or into the back of the skull." Louis said as he demonstrated a punch and stab combo in a safe direction.

"My own design. Based on my great-grandfather's at Verdun. You know: _On Ne Passe Pas! _They Shall Not Pass." Louis said, "Perfect for combat in the catacombs. No room and no warning. Suddenly they are upon you, sometimes right before your eyes or jumping out of a side passage. Everyone was armored in some way...chain mail or heavy leather...almost always too heavy and suffocating, wet leather jackets and trousers, chain mail shirts. Trying to fight while already exhausted, men would tear off their masks, gasping for air and inhaling the stink. Many died before we could get them to the surface."

"The Seine was a raging torrent that summer. It was so wet. Rot was everywhere. The foul fluid was at least ankle deep. Sometimes even waist or hip deep. You'd be on point, walking or sometimes even crawling on all fours up to your elbows. Then the floor would give way. You'd splash headfirst into an unmapped hole having only seconds to right yourself before your gas mask flooded. And drowning was the least of your worries. Men would be splashing, struggling to stay upright with all that heavy gear, and then you'd see the eyes go wide and hear the muffled screams." Louis continued.

"Those were the times we called the Cousteaus, specially trained scuba divers trained to work and fight in those flooded tunnels. With only a searchlight and a shark suit, if they were lucky enough to get one, and at most two hours of air. They were supposed to wear a safety line but most refused to do so. They tended to get tangled up and slow the diver's progress. Those men and women had a one in twenty percent chance of survival, the lowest of any in the Army. It's no wonder that they received an automatic Legion of Honor(3)."

"And what was it all for? Fifteen-thousand dead or missing. Not just the Cousteaus, the entire Corps. Fifteen thousand as the war was winding down." Louis said, "How long did it take the English to clear all of London? Five years? Eight years? Section by section. Slowly and with low casualties. What was it that English General said, 'Enough dead heroes for now'? That's what we needed. Heroes. That's what our leaders felt we needed and our people wanted. And not just in this war: Algeria, Indochina, the Nazis. We needed heroes in the face of this new foe and places to restore French pride. The Ossuary, Port Mahon Quarry, the Hospital..." Louis continued.

"The Hospital, our shining moment. In World War II the Nazis built it to house mental patients, letting them starve to death behind the stone walls. During our war it became an infirmary for those transforming into Heartless. Later as the survivors' humanity faded like electric lamps with burned bulbs they threw the infected and who knows who else into those vaults. An advance team broke into the facility, not realizing what was on the other side. They could have blown the tunnel, sealed them in. One squad against three hundred Heartless. We heard four words before their radio went silent..._On Ne Passe Pas!" _Louis began.

Rachel regarded her co-worker for a moment. Louis gave her a small, ironic grin, "This will be the first time that I have returned to France since the war ended."

"I don't know what to say, Louis..." Rachel replied.

"There's no need to say anything. My burden is my own." Louis replied.

Rachel walked out of the room and checked her watch. It was still at least another twelve hours before they would reach Paris. She wasn't exactly tired either. She felt a lump in her throat and knew she was thinking about Harvey...

"Penny for your thoughts?" A voice came from behind her.

"I'm afraid my thoughts aren't really for sale." Rachel said, wanly smiling as she turned to face him.

"Harvey?" Carl asked.

Rachel nodded.

"Rachel, I promise I'll find out what became of Harvey. I have a couple buddies in our Intelligence section I can consult." Carl said, "I will let you know anything I find out about him..."

Rachel hugged him, "Thank you."

"My pleasure." Carl replied. He couldn't have said no even if he wanted to regarding Rachel's request.

"I never really thanked you for everything you've done for me." Rachel said.

"There is no need to thank me." Carl replied, "I couldn't let those bastards take you back to be experimented on like some animal. There's nothing I hate more than human experimentation. Among the most hideous of criminals performed them."

Part of Rachel wanted to ask Carl what had shaped his opinions but after hearing Louis' story she had heard enough war stories for the day.

"You've been a real sweetheart to me since I got here." Rachel said.

"You're welcome." Carl said, "I'm sorry to cut this short, but I've got work to get done."

---

"_I and more importantly my Organization are the closest things you have to friends right now..." the hooded figure replied ominously..._

The words of the creature echoed through Harvey Dent's mind as he clutched at the sides of his head. How long had he been confined in this laboratory? How long had these hooded creeps been experimenting on him? People were going to pay for what happened to Rachel. That much he knew. Batman and Gordon would pay.

So when the guard came to leave him his food, Harvey knew he would strike. He knew his strength was at least twice that of a normal human being. He grabbed hold of the LexCorps guard and with the ease of popping open a stuck pickle jar snapped the man's neck. He ran through the corridors of the underground laboratory before finding himself outside in a driving rain. He didn't recognize the skyline as anywhere near Gotham.

His eyes found a sign that read: Metropolis Daily Planet. He knew that Gotham was the next city over and all he had to do was get there.

No bother. Distance and odds were no bar to vengeance's call...

---

**TBC. Up next. Batman finds disturbing evidence of the Dent Nobody and the beginnings of its rampage through Gotham City. Rachel continues her work with the UN. **

1) JERRV - Joint EOD Rapid Reaction Vehicle

2) LaMOE - Last Man on Earth. Human survivors in infested areas who managed to survive.

3) Legion of Honor - French equivalent to the American Congressional Medal of Honor.


End file.
